[co-authors: Caroline Shrock and Kulsum Gulamhusein]

COP28 - December 6, 2023 Recap

• Today’s COP28 theme – Multilevel Action, Urbanization and Built Environment/Transport – saw the hosting of a Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change and the release of the Joint Outcome Statement on Urbanization and Climate Change. The Statement, which was signed by over 40 Ministers of Environment, Urban Development and Housing, sets out a 10-point plan to include cities in climate-related decision making and accelerate the deployment of urban climate finance. Thus far, the Local Climate Action Summit has mobilized $467 million for urban climate action.
• The first ever Waste MAP, a platform that uses satellite monitoring to track and measure methane emissions from waste, was announced at COP28 today. Partners on this project include the Global Methane Hub, Google Foundation, Rocky Mountain Institute, Clean Air Taskforce, the Netherlands Institute for Space Research, and Carbon Mapper. That Waste MAP will allow local governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to identify and mitigate methane emissions before they become harmful. Additionally, the Waste to Zero Initiative, a coalition of governments, NGOs and the private sector, launched today. The Initiative seeks to decarbonize waste management and encourage the growth of the circular economy by encouraging reuse of resources.